


Ocean and Atlantic

by jihoonhour



Category: TREASURE (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Introvert Hamada Asahi, M/M, Merman Yoon Jaehyuk, Merpeople AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:20:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26214016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jihoonhour/pseuds/jihoonhour
Summary: Asahi was sitting on the shores of Busan when a mop of orange hair nudged at his feet. He was greeted by a handsome face, eyes closed.He didn't expect him to have a tail where his legs should be; much less claiming that he's the heir to Atlantis.
Relationships: Hamada Asahi/Yoon Jaehyuk
Comments: 2
Kudos: 51





	Ocean and Atlantic

Asahi’s parents would always visit Busan every summer. The reason? He has no clue; the two would find a way to book a flight from Osaka every year. They didn’t really do much though. But he always felt at peace when they visit. He would often watch the scenery of the vast seas, and sometimes observe the families that visit during the afternoon. His parents would rent a small cottage a couple of minutes away from the shores.   
  
When he was younger, he found the place dull and boring. He didn’t have anyone to play with and there was no signal in the area, so contacting his friends was out of question. Now that he grew up, he started to appreciate the calmness that surrounded the place. Away from the buzzing cities and the chatter of strangers, his introverted nature would now find himself counting down the days.

Busan was his safe space.

He’s nineteen now, far from the seven year old who would cry from the thought of summer vacation. Asahi sat in silence, the roaring of the waves when they hit land was the only noise that reached his ears.  
  
Calm. He really needed this.  
  
Alas his silence was interrupted when a mop of orange hair nudged at his feet. To say that Asahi was startled was an understatement, but for someone else the teenager may have looked calm and collected outside. He froze and observed the body that washed ashore. Asahi wasn’t a local that’s for sure. He didn’t know the sanctions of foreigners in Korea if he was to be suspected as a murderer.  
  
Upon closer inspection, he turned the boys head upright. He’s breathing. That’s good. Great even. At least he wouldn’t be a convicted murderer now. The other took shallow breaths, as if he didn’t pass out from drowning, just sleeping. The next thing Asahi observed was the boy had handsome features and… he wasn’t wearing a top. No. The boy wasn’t wearing anything.

Because he had a tail where his leg should be.  
  
Merpeople? Do they call them that? Asahi should be running away by now. What if this boy ate him for dinner?

The other’s eyes slowly fluttered open, having the distinct color of dark green. Asahi sat frozen in place.  
  
“Hi,” a deep voice interrupted his thoughts, “sorry, I must have swam when I slept,”  
  
“Do humans do that too? I heard from my eomma you could sleep walk,” he cocked his head to the side, “that's what you call the thing you do with your feet right?”  
  
Asahi didn’t respond, the other looked at him sadly, “I’m sorry, are you mute?”  
  
“No,” he responded briefly, “I don’t understand,”  
  
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” the other smiled brightly at him, “pretend like this never happened,”  
  
“But I wanna get to know you first!” the merman exclaimed excitedly.  
  
“Aren’t you afraid I’d report you to authorities,” he asked the peculiar boy.  
  
“Nope,” he popped the answer, “most who caught sight of us were never really believed to be reliable,”  
  
“And how do you know that?”  
  
“My eomma told me,”  
  
“Didn’t your eomma tell you it’s dangerous to approach strangers,” Asahi felt like he was dreaming, and if he was, then he’d make the most out of the conversation.  
  
“Well she did, but humans are much more weak than us,” he smiled cheekily at Asahi, “What’s your name?”  
  
“You first,” Asahi replied warily.  
  
“Jaehyuk,” he nodded towards the other, “now you.”  
  
“Asahi,” Jaehyuk looked at him curiously, “that doesn’t sound like a Korean name.”  
  
Asahi was surprised at that, “How do you know what Korean names sound like? And how can you understand me? I’m speaking in Japanese,”  
  
“Ah, so that’s it,” Jaehyuk nodded as if understanding everything, “I’ve heard about Japan too! Some of my friends swam there,”  
  
“Okay?” if what he’s saying is true, then merpeople are really weird creatures. How can you swim across the pacific?  
  
“We could understand each other because of an enchantment placed on our kind from centuries back,” Jaehyuk paused as if racking his brain for some answers, “much like how sirens could lure humans,”  
  
“Are you luring me right now so you could eat me?”  
  
“What? No! Merpeople are vegetarians, but anyway-” Jaehyuk flipped his tail, “I have to go, it was nice meeting you Asahi!”  
  
Asahi woke up the next morning thinking everything was just his illusion.. Not until the orange head came popping every time he sat on the shores.

* * *

Asahi was twenty now, a junior in college. He thought about the coming summer vacation.  
  
Will Jaehyuk still be there? Will he remember him after a year? He didn't really know much about merpeople's memory span, but he knows they're highly intelligent.  
  
He just hoped that the other would remember the past summer. How they would spend almost the whole day together, until Asahi had to leave for Japan again. A part of him was nervous too. What if he just made up everything in his mind?  
  
Alas, he was proven wrong when an orange hair greeted him excitedly as he walked down the shoreline. "You're back!" Jaehyuk exclaimed and Asahi couldn't help but laugh at him. The other was definitely a giant puppy at heart.  
  
"How was college?"  
  
"Great, I guess," Asahi shrugged, "I'll be a senior when I go back,"  
  
"Does that mean you could visit me more?" Jaehyuk asked hopefully. Asahi didn't think about that.  
  
After his graduation he would probably start working as soon as possible, which meant he wouldn't be able to visit Jaehyuk like he did.  
  
"We'll see," Asahi lied, but the other already knew the answer judging by the sadness in his eyes.  
  
"It's okay," Jaehyuk responded briefly, "I'll be busy too,"  
  
"What could you be possible be doing?" Asahi chuckled at the other.  
  
What other responsibilities did merpeople even have? "Hmm, running the kingdom,"

"Kingdom? You mean Atlantis?" Asahi tried to recall Jaehyuk's stories from last time.  
  
"Yeah!" he nodded enthusiastically, "I'll ascend the throne soon, since my eomma is getting older,"  
  
"throne?" Asahi asked curiously, "you didn't tell me you were royalty?"  
  
"Ah," Jaehyuk covered his mouth guiltily, "must have slipped my mind." Asahi had a feeling it definitely didn't slip the other's mind, but paid it no attention.  
  
They spent the summer talking about Asahi's plans for his thesis papers, and Jaehyuk nodding as if understanding everything he said. While, Jaehyuk would point at sea turtles and say hi to them, sometimes would even tell Asahi his plans as future king.

* * *

Asahi graduated college, he's twenty one, looking for a fresh start in the industry. But he needed to do one last thing before he drowned himself in a 9 to 5 job; an absence of a two month vacation every year.  
  
"Jaehyukie," he called out towards the sea, "are you here?"  
  
As if on cue, a huge smile swam fast towards him, arms opening up, asking for a hug, "Asahi!"  
  
"I thought you'd never come,"  
  
Asahi smiled warmly at the other, accepting the embrace. The other's skin felt colder against his clothes, but he wouldn't have it any other way. He really needed to make the most out of this summer.

The two talked about their past adventures from the previous year, Asahi trying as much as possible to make his studies interesting. Jaehyuk on the other hand explained that sea otters started chasing his dongsaengs because they annoy the creatures.

"You know, I'll be leaving soon, right?" Asahi asked the other.

"I know," Jaehyuk smiled sadly, "this is your last visit, right?"

"Can I ask you one last thing?" Jaehyuk lowered his head, biting his lip before breathing out, "can you kiss me?"  
  
Asahi's eyes widened at that. Did the merman even know what he's saying. "Do you understand what that means?"  
  
"Yeah," Jaehyuk breathed out, "I like you," he continued, "and from the way your heart is beating I know you like me too,"   
  
Asahi couldn't argue with that. He definitely wasn't wrong. But he couldn't bear to have their last good bye like this. It would haunt him every day he wakes up. But he couldn't say no to Jaehyuk either, so he nodded his head and whispered, "okay."  
  
It wasn't like he imagined it to be, Jaehyuk's lips were cold against his, but the fire that burned inside him by the press of their lips was enough to etch the memory on his brain.

They smiled sadly at each other in silence, sitting side by side as the sun said good bye, replaced by the moon. It's time to leave.

And if Asahi cried as he walked down that shore one last time, no one would know. It was their secret after all.

* * *

Asahi was twenty two when his parents visited him in Tokyo, working as a Biologist in one of Japan's research centers. He could barely go out anymore, always busy with work and other things that needed his attention.  
  
"How are you?" his mom asked him as his dad has fallen asleep on his spare room.  
  
"Great," he responded flatly.  
  
"Maybe you need some rest, darling," his mom caressed his hair, "take a vacation?"  
  
"Can't,"

"He misses you, you know?" and for some reason his head snapped at that. He had a feeling his mom wasn't talking about his father.  
  
"Your grandparents used to tell me stories about the guardians of the seas," his mom smiled at him, "back then I brushed it off," his mom continued, "I'm sure you did too. Did you remember any of it?"

Trying to recall it from his memories, he could vaguely recall the stories his grandparents told him. They don't mean- "and you met them," his mom smiled at him, "our people."

"Our lives have always been intertwined with theirs," she continued, "our family is what they call keepers. We have been for generations,"

"We help preserve and maintain their secret, so other people won't be able to discover them. Jaehyuk knew it too," she sighed, carding her fingers through Asahi's hair, "I'm giving you a choice, Asahi."

"You don't have to fulfill our role," his mom squeezed his hand reassuringly, "but I want you to follow your heart,"

* * *

Asahi was twenty three when he dropped everything he once had back in Tokyo, as if he had much anyway. He dropped his bags, and came running towards to shore like his life depended on it, but there were no signs of orange hair anywhere. He sighed defeatedly, maybe he was already too late.

“Hey,” a brown haired boy not older than twenty threw a rock at him, “are you the new keeper?” he cocked his head to the side.

Asahi nodded confusedly, “Ah, then you must be hyung’s boyfriend, I’m gonna fetch him-”

“Jeongwoo!” a familiar voice screamed, “stop meddling with my affairs!”

"Sorry," Jaehyuk appeared sheepishly, "I had him on look out,"

The merman looked different. His hair was now covered with pearls, mimicking a crown. He glowed differently too, posture now as proper as a king's should be. It rendered Asahi speechless.

"Are you going to say anything?" Jaehyuk laughed at the other, smile reaching his eyes. "I missed you, you idiot," Asahi cried as he tugged the other for a hug,

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere," Jaehyuk rubbed his back for comfort, "I missed you too."

"I'm staying," Asahi breathed out.

"I know," Jaehyuk cupped his face, "for good, right?"

"For good."  
  
He finally broke the shackles that tied him to a future he knew he didn't want. Choosing to stay with the boy he met when he was nineteen, now the king of the seas.

Busan was his safe space after all.

Asahi was twenty three when he chose to be happy.

**Author's Note:**

> this was a drabble request by an anon. you may ask me for au prompts at privatter.net/m/jihoonhour and follow some updates on my twitter au account: @jihoonhour
> 
> I hope you all have a great day!


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